Fee change at waste facility

Council is looking to implement a fairer fee structure at the city's waste facility as part of its 2019/2020 budget.

Council currently allows residents to use the waste facility for free (up to one tonne), while commercial users are charged for the dumping of all rubbish.

A recent independent audit of the city's waste facility found fees were being charged in an inconsistent manner, with waste categories not aligned to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Waste Classification Guidelines.

Meanwhile commercial users have expressed frustration that they are charged to use the facility while residents can effectively dump limitless rubbish for free.

Concerns were also raised regarding businesses posing as residential users of the facility and hiding rubbish under green waste in order to dump commercial quantities of waste and avoid fees.

At last night's Extraordinary Meeting of Council a plan was put forward that each residential user may use the facility for free five times a year, with each load after that attracting a fee between $5-$15 depending on size and weight.

The waste facility's fee structure will also be simplified to better meet the needs of commercial users, and meet EPA regulatory standards.

Mayor Darriea Turley said there was no easy solution to better managing the city's waste facility.

"When some people are being charged and others aren't, there's always going to be a level of disharmony, and great difficulty in applying fair charges across the board," Mayor Turley said.

"Hopefully this system will help alleviate some of the issues facing the waste facility, whilst passing on minimum costs to residential users.

"It should also be remembered that recyclables, E-waste, iron and steel, and green waste will all remain free.

"As always, we're very open to feedback around the plan, and encourage commercial and residential users to make a submission around the matter."

Those wishing to view more details around the proposed waste fees are encouraged to view the business papers from this month's Extraordinary Meeting of the Council here.